Abortion Laws: ECOWAS Ministers Call For Passage

Ministers of Health of ECOWAS have called for the passage of abortion laws in member states as part of efforts to reduce the incidence of high Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in the sub region.
The call was contained in a communiqué issued after the First Extraordinary Assembly of ECOWAS Health Ministers which took place on October 23 at Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River State, Nigeria.
The ministers said in the communiqué which was made available to newsmen recently that the abortion laws “will reflect the social contexts” of respective ECOWAS member states.
They recalled the effect of unsafe abortion as a contributory factor to high MMR, saying that abortion laws, when enacted, would lead to a reduction in the number of women who die from pregnancy related causes.
The ministers noted the importance of involving men in family planning interventions as part of strategies to address the issues of maternal, newborn and child health.
They called on West African Health Organisation (WAHO) to identify best practices in maternal, newborn and child health and then disseminate same practices among member states and to develop a common strategic plan for the attainment of MDGs 4, 5 and 6.
The ministers identified tools for health systems strengthening which include human resource for health, logistics management system, policy development, data generation and operations management strengthening as key to improving maternal, newborn and child health.
The Assembly emphasised the importance of the coordinating role of WAHO in the region and therefore called on the organisation to develop implementation plans for the various declarations, resolutions that were adopted by member states on maternal, newborn and neonatal health and prioritise specific areas that will form the basis of a roadmap.
On Health Insurance Schemes, the ministers proposed that WAHO supports member states financially and technically to implement the schemes as a means of health financing.
The ministers proposed a special summit of ECOWAS Heads of State to discuss maternal, newborn and child health issues and that Finance Ministers should be involved to underscore the Abuja commitment of 15 per cent allocation to the health sector and five per cent to reproductive health.
They also proposed that a special fund be established to address the issues of maternal and infant mortality in the sub-region.
The ministers emphasised the need to review the training curricula of health institutions in ECOWAS to address the attitudes and the ethos of health personnel as part of the approach to improving the quality of human resources for maternal, newborn and child health.